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It is the year 1983; and in the village of Hinamizawa, on the night of the cotton drifting festival and in the days following it, a series of deaths occurs. The only hope for the village and its inhabitants is the shrine maiden Furude Rika who, with the help of her invisible partner Hanyuu, is able to travel back in time and alter the events that led to disaster. Unfortunately, regardless of what changes are made, each voyage ultimately ends with the death of Rika and many of her friends. But when Rika’s friends start remembering things that happened to them in previous worlds and take steps to avoid the same outcomes, Rika realizes that their chances of survival have never been better. Can she really challenge and defeat fate itself?
One night, Madoka has a terrible nightmare – against the backdrop of a desolate landscape, she watches a magical girl battle a terrifying creature, and lose. The next day, the teen's dream becomes reality when the girl – Homura – arrives at Mitakihara High School as a transfer student, mysteriously warning Madoka to stay just the way she is. But when she and her best friend Miki are pulled into a twisted illusion world and meet a magical creature named Kyubey, the pair discovers that magical girls are real, and what's more, they can choose to become one. All they must do is sign a contract with Kyubey and agree to fight witches that spread despair to the human world, and in return they will be granted a single wish. However, as Homura's omen suggests, there's far more to becoming a magical girl than Madoka and Miki realize...
While it's a given you must watch the first season of Higurashi first before watching Kai,and while I'd say the premises of both shows are rather different at first glance, the overall backstory behind Higurashi fits in rather closely with Madoka's and both series have continuously startling new revelations about the characters in the series and the fates they've been forced to accept. I would say more but I don't want to give away any spoilers for either series. Just keep in mind, if you liked one there's a good chance you'd probably like the other.
In both anime the characters are condemned to a future with a final of pain, the history repeats and repeats, but a person with the potential and the help of her friends can change this future and make amazing miracles. I recommend both, because them teach you the importance of life and how to change a sad finally with a miracle, nothing is impossible, if you give you heart to it.
Both anime package their dark story in cutsy characters and also, the underlying plot of what is really going on is kind of similar.
Both Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai tell the story of a girl willing to do anything for the sake of her friends, no matter how painful it may be. Both feature elements of darkness and are full of chilling twists and turns despite appearing cute at first glance. If you expect either of these series to be full of sweetness; prepare to be shocked
Both of these shows seem on the surface to be happy-go-lucky stories with a group of cute Moe girls, but are actually extremely dark and deep. The way the stories unfold and the inevitable unraveling of a complicated and gut-wrenching puzzle is very similar. If you liked one I really think you would like the other.
Both shows have a concept around fate, if it is possible to change, and how they can change their fate. The decision to change fate is made by a repeating cycle of tradgedies in Kai, and In Mawaru Penguin Drum fate is questioned concerning Himari's life. Higurashi Kai is more of a horror series, though, but still has the psychological vibe that Mawaru Penguin Drum has. But the representation is different, be aware of that.
To attempt changing fate may drive someone insane. After all- if something is fate then doesn't that mean it's inevitable? But fate is cruel; so cruel that characters in these anime risk body and mind to try and break it.
Though the differences between these two are many, there still are some major similarities in the themes they deal with. Both series deal with everything between silliness and cruelty. Both have the plot revolve around fate and characters who try to change it. Lastly, both have a strong cast to relate to, where every single character are humanized by the problems they face and how they deal with them.
The eccentric mad scientist Okabe, his childhood friend Mayuri, and the otaku hacker Daru have banded together to form the Future Gadget Research Laboratory, and spend their days in a ramshackle laboratory hanging out and occasionally attempting to invent incredible futuristic gadgets. However, their claymore is a hydrator and their hair dryer flips breakers, and the only invention that’s even remotely interesting is their Phone Microwave, which transforms bananas into oozing green gel. But when an experiment goes awry the gang discovers that the Phone Microwave can also send text messages to the past. And what's more, the words they send can affect the flow of time and have unforeseen, far-reaching consequences - consequences that Okabe may not be able to handle...
Explicitly telling what these two series have so much in common would be a spoiler in and of itself, so I'll just say if you enjoyed the plight of the protagonists in one of them you're bound to love the other as well.
Both Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai and Steins;Gate involve the theme of breaking a terrible fate, and include timetraveling. If you watch both series from start to finish, you'll recognize that those two follow a very similar pattern, although their setting is completely different.
Trying to tell why they are similar would spoil both series for you. Just trust me when i say, if you liked one, you will like the other just the same, if not more so.
When a group of children discover a strange cave at the beach, their lives are forever changed. Inside they find a hide out filled with computers and a man named Kokopelli who gives them a curious offer: to participate in a special game in which they save Earth from fifteen giant monsters. To defeat the invaders, he will give them a powerful mecha of black armor. The children eagerly sign the contract, name their new weapon Zearth, and must now take turns to pilot it; but the 'game' is in fact all too real and the consequences of battle become the stuff of nightmares. With no option to cancel the contract, is there any way to stop the game before it is too late for all of them?
Both series are stories about people who know that they are going to day. We can watch their movements and see what is happening to them just before the death. But both of them also show how we can change our life and face the destiny and fight it. If you like a deeply psychologic series you will like the one i recommend for sure.
Both of the series have a dark plot to them, where characters must keep pushing toward a seemingly pyrrhic victory. You will enjoy how the plots unravel in a very similar fasion.
Have you ever felt like the world would be a better place if certain people weren’t around? Such grim daydreams might occur when watching the dismal daily news, but on one fateful day, Yagami Light finds that these daydreams can become reality. By pure happenstance, he comes across a black notebook entitled "Death Note", whose text within states that whoever's name is written on its pages will die. With the aid of the death god Ryuk, Light takes it upon himself to rid the world of its corruption, ushering in a new era of purity one death at a time. But as Ryuk foretells, Light's actions will not go unchallenged...
Both series were about how humans should never try to become gods. They also both had that special "something" that makes you want to know what happens in the next episode and eventually, leads you to finishing the serie and begging for more.
Botha re amazing Psychological animes taking the audience full throttle and pushing there reasoning to the very limitations, the supernatural themes make it increasing impossible to predict allowing the maximum enjoy, though in my opinion Higurashi does this a lot better.
